Community weighs in on cloud making machine | News – Curry Coastal Pilot

A “Weather Modification Machine” is being proposed in Curry County.
Oannes Research and Development Corporation reports they have patented the world’s first effective cloud making machine – and they want to build one on the Southern Oregon Coast – specifically in Gold Beach or Brookings.
According to the corporation, the machine, called an Aquaelicium, can add rain into the atmosphere by producing clouds. The corporation also claims the machine can separate salt out of ocean water, purify contaminated water and provide drinking water.
In order to move forward with the project, the corporation will need a license from the Oregon State Department of Agriculture to be permitted to artificially modify the weather.
The public was invited to comment on the proposal on Aug. 22 at the Curry Soil and Water Conservation District Office in Gold Beach – as well as through a virtual meeting. Eric Nusbaum was the public hearing official from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on-hand to take comments.
He directed the public to make comments pertaining to the qualification of the applicant, whether or not it would benefit agriculture and forestry, and potential impacts on public health and safety.
Many of the public comments made at the hearing came as concerns.
“I don’t think the information we have is near what we need,” said Walter Murry.
“Let’s say this works perfectly and it generates rain. Rain is not our problem, we get 60 to 90 inches of rain per year. Why isn’t this at Lake Mead – or some other reservoir? If the end game is to make water for human use, why isn’t it being placed somewhere it can be collected for human use?” Murry asked.
“It feels like we are being a guinea pig because we are in a little Podunk county where there aren’t much resources to fight this. They will come here to test this project to see if it works or not… It seems dubious,” he said.
“We have very little information and this seems like it is coming at us fast,” said Ellen Falkner, a community member who attended the public hearing.
Oannes Corporation lists their mission as “bringing back our symbiotic relationship to this beautiful earth.” But community member Falkner said she was wary of artificially modifying the environment.
“It never leads to anything good as far as I can tell,” Falkner said. “I can think of when Lyndon B. Johnson made a comment, “Whoever can control the weather controls the world.”
At the end of the comment period Alexander Jenkins, the Chief Scientific Strategy Officer at Oannes, addressed a few of the public concerns.
“It is free to your community. I donated 20 of these devices to low-income or hard-pressed communities for water who are distressed,” he said.
“Your community is not necessarily distressed but it is next to areas that are highly distressed. You conveniently fall into a wind area and I need your wind to move my clouds,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins encouraged any community members who are interested in learning more about the project to contact him directly.
Nusbaum, the public hearing official from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said his department will have until Aug. 30 to decide whether or not to permit the weather modification license based on legislative statute ORS 558. In addition to the public comments, the agriculture department has an internal review and offers the application information to other state agencies for comments.
“We will evaluate the application based on those criteria,” he said.
Nusbaum assured members of the public that this would not be the only time they would have an opportunity to weigh in on the project, if the license is granted.
“It is likely to have many more permit processes,” he said.
Nusbaum also said the Department of Agriculture is taking this permit seriously.
“We haven’t given out a license of this kind since the early 70s, and this project is very complex. We’re going to carefully take into consideration that we haven’t had this situation before,” he said.
More information about Oannes Research and Development Corporation and the Aquaelicium can be found at www.oannesrdcorp.com.

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After 40 years of no replacement for the timber industry…. This is NOT WANTED IN ANY WAY!!!!! Especially on the southern Oregon coast!! Is someone stupid???
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